Cattle-stanchion.



0. W. wlAssou & L. M. WAIT.

CATTLE STANGHION. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1909.

Patented May 2, I911.

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CHARLES W. WASSON AND LORENZO 1V1. WAIT, OF FRIENDSHIP, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOBS T0 WASSON STANOHION COMPANY, OF CUBA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CATTLE-STANCHION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES TV. VVAssoN and LORENZO M. Van, citizens of the United States, residing at Friendship, in the county of Allegany and State of New York, have invented a new and useful 1 mprovement in Cattle- Stanchions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that type of cattle stanchions shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 798,986,

dated September 5, 1905. In the use of such stanehions, the cattle upon entering the stall are liable to put their heads through the space between the movable stanchion-bar and the adjacent member of the frame instead of between the two stanchion bars and thus delay putting up or stalling them. The cattle when stalled are also apt to throw hay or fodder through the above-mentioned space from the manger into the stall, entailing waste.

One objectof our invention is to improve the stanchion with a view of avoiding this objection.

A further object is to increase the strength and durability of the stanchion so as to maintain its movable parts in the proper relative position to insure their free and reliable operation, and also to reduce wear of the stanchion pivots to a minimum.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of our improved stan chion, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same on line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The stationary frame of the stanchion comprises the usual two uprights A, r the horizontal top beam B and the sill B C, C indicate the upright stanchion bars between which the neck of the animal is confined, D and E the horizontal head and foot pieces which carry the upper and lower ends of the stanchion bars, and b, b the usual pivots or gudgeons arranged on the head and foot pieces and turning in sockets or bearings in the beam and sill. The stan' chion bar C is rigidly secured at its ends to the head and foot pieces at a distance from the rear ends of the latter, while the stanchion bar C is movable relatively to the fixed bar and pivotally seated at its. lqwer end in a socket f in the foot piece, its upper end being guided in a longitudinal slot f in the head piece in the usual manner. The movable stanchion bar is held in its closed operative position by a suitable latch G preferably pivoted at one end to the head-piece, while its free end is adapted to drop behind the upper end of the movable stanchion bar to lock it, as shown by full lines in Fig. 1. Upon lifting this latch, the movable bar swings to its open inclined position, shown by dotted lines in the last-mentioned figure.

H indicates a suitable locking catch which prevents rotation of the stanchion when not in use. It is preferably constructed in the form of a lever pivoted to swing vertically in the slot f and having an upwardly-projecting nose It adapted to engage with a recess 2' in the underside of the beam B when released, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and also having a weighted tail piece '5 arranged to be engaged by the upper end of said movable bar when the latter is swung into its closed position, so as to withdraw said nose from the recess 2' and permit free rotation of the stanchion as shown by full lines in Fig. 1.

J indicates an upright brace or truss-bar arranged on the outer or rear side of the fixed stanchion bar G and rigidly secured at its upper and lower ends to the adjacent ends of the head and foot pieces. If desired, a space block K may be secured between the central portions of the truss bar and the fixed stanchion bar but this is not essential.

An upright guard and brace bar K is arranged on the outer side of the movable stanchion bar and firmly secured at its upper and lower ends to the adjacent ends of the head and foot pieces. This guard bar is preferably inclined, with its lower end located nearer the fixed stanchion bar than its upper end, as shown, to permit the movable stanchion bar to open fully, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. At the same time, the guard bar sufficiently obstructs the space between the movable stanchion bar and the frame-member A to prevent an animal from thrusting its head through this space upon entering the stall and from throwing food or litter from the manger into the stall after the movable stanchion bar has been closed on the neck of the animal. In addition to acting as a guard, the bar K performs the important function of a brace or brace-bar, which, in conjunction with the truss or brace-bar J, greatly strengthens and stifi'ens the stanchion and maintains its head and foot pieces in parallelism, insuring the proper action of the swinging stanchion bar and its locking latch at all times.

Stanchions are commonly exposed both to dr 1 and wet weather and more or less shrinkage of their parts is therefore inevitable. I11 stanchions having but a single truss or brace bar connecting the head and foot pieces, either at their front or their rear ends, such pieces sag or settle unevenly in the course of time; and in case, for example, the

upper one sags while the lower remains intact, the latch carried by the upper piece cannot be raised far enough to clear the upper end of the swinging stanchion bar, thus blocking it and rendering it impossible to unlock said bar. In the use of our improved stanchion, practice has demonstrated that notwithstanding such shrinkage, the foot piece owing to its being braced and tied to the head piece at both ends is caused to follow any sagging or departure of the head piece from its horizontal posit-ion. These pieces are thus always kept parallel and equidistant, maintaining the upper end of the swinging stanchion bar in proper relation to the latch to insure easy unlocking as well as locking of said bar at all times. The guard and brace bar K also counterbalances the opposite brace bar J, practically balancing the stanchion as a whole and equalizing and reducing the wear of the pivots 7), b and their bearings. In addition to the above mentioned advantages, the simplieity of the stanchion enables it to be cheaply produced with comparatively unskilled labor.

e claim as our invention:

1. A stanchion comprising head and foot pieces, a fixed stanchion bar secured to said head and foot pieces near one end thereof, a cooperating movable stanchion bar carried by said head and foot pieces, means for retaining said movable bar in its closed position, and front and rear brace bars arranged on the outer sides of the fixed and movable stanchion bars, respectively, said brace bars being rigidly secured to and connecting the ends of the head and foot pieces, whereby said pieces are maintained in parallel and equidistant relation.

2. A stanchion comprising head and foot pieces, a fixed stanchion bar secured to said head and foot pieces near one end thereof, a truss bar secured to and. conuecting'the ends of the head and foot pieces on the outer side of said fixed stanchion bar, an inclined guard and brace bar secured to and connecting the opposite ends of said head and foot pieces and having its lower end arranged closer to the fixed stanchion bar than its upper end, and a movable stanchion bar mounted on said head and foot pieces between the fixed stanchion bar and said guard and brace bar.

lVitness our hands this 28th day of August, 1909.

CHARLES IV. IVASSON. LORENZO M. IVAIT. \Vitnesses to the signature of Charles IV. lVasson:

EDWIN S. KING, Howann IV 001. \Vitnesses to the signature of Lorenzo M. ait:

A. L. ELLIOTT, FRED H. MASON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

